Foreign matter removal device and vehicle equipped with foreign matter removal device

ABSTRACT

A foreign matter removal device that removes foreign matters adhering to a lens ( 101 ) included in an in-vehicle camera ( 100 ), including a camera bracket ( 91 ) that attaches the in-vehicle camera ( 100 ) to a rear bumper panel ( 200   b ) of a vehicle in a state in which the lens ( 101 ) is exposed toward the outside of the rear bumper panel ( 200   b ) of the vehicle, a high-pressure air generation unit disposed inside the rear bumper panel ( 200   b ) and configured to generate high-pressure air, and a nozzle unit provided with a nozzle ( 22 ) that injects the high-pressure air toward the lens ( 101 ), wherein a through-hole ( 92 ) is formed in the camera bracket ( 91 ), and the high-pressure air generated by the high-pressure air generation unit passes from the inside to the outside of the rear bumper panel ( 200   b ) through the through-hole ( 92 ), and is injected from the nozzle ( 22 ) toward the lens ( 101 ).

CROSS REFERENCE PARAGRAPH

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/740,884 filed Dec. 29, 2017, which is a National Stage ofInternational Application No. PCT/JP2016/069334, filed Jun. 29, 2016,claiming priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-131783filed Jun. 30, 2015, Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-131784 filedJun. 30, 2015 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-131787 filed Jun.30, 2015, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a device for removing foreign mattersby injecting high-pressure air.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, the number of vehicles equipped with in-vehicle cameras forphotographing the situations around the vehicle is increasing. In thein-vehicle cameras, there is a case that a lens as an imaging surfacebecomes dirty due to rain, mud or the like. Therefore, conventionally, aforeign matter removal device for removing foreign matters by blowingcleaning liquid or high-pressure air or the like to the lens of thein-vehicle camera in order to remove foreign matters such as waterdroplets adhering on the lens has been known.

In such a foreign matter removal device, the performance of removingforeign matters may be deteriorated when the positioning accuracy of thetip end of the nozzle with respect to the lens of the camera is low.Therefore, for example, a structure has been proposed in which adedicated bracket is provided on a body panel of a vehicle, and a nozzleis positioned with respect to a lens via the dedicated bracket (seePatent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a part of the camera and thenozzle are arranged in a space provided at the rear of the body paneland located between a garnish and the body panel, and an imaging surfaceof the camera protrudes outward from an opening portion of the garnish.

Further, in the foreign matter removal device disclosed in the followingPatent Document 1, a tank in which cleaning liquid is stored and a unitfor injecting the cleaning liquid are mounted inside a body panel of avehicle. Then, a dedicated nozzle bracket is attached to the body panelof the vehicle, and the cleaning liquid is injected onto the lensexposed toward the outside of the vehicle via the nozzle bracket (seePatent Document 1).

CITATION LIST Patent Document

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2014-69586

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Problems to be Solved by Invention

In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, at the time ofattaching the foreign matter removal device to the vehicle, in additionto a hole for fitting the in-vehicle camera, a hole for fitting thenozzle bracket should be formed in the body panel of the vehicle.Therefore, the work efficiency when attaching the foreign matter removaldevice is lowered.

One object of the present invention is to provide a foreign matterremoval device capable of enhancing the work efficiency when attachingthe foreign matter removal device to an object such as a vehicle, and avehicle equipped with the foreign matter removal device.

Further, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, wheninserting the in-vehicle camera into the camera bracket having aninsertion hole, an assembly worker has to perform the work so that thehousing or the like of the in-vehicle camera does not come into contactwith the tip end of the nozzle, and thus, the work efficiency islowered. When the housing or the like of the in-vehicle camera comesinto contact with the tip end of the nozzle, the positioning of thenozzle with respect to the lens of the in-vehicle camera is deviated,thereby deteriorating the performance of removing foreign matters.

Further, the shape of the body panel of the vehicle varies depending onthe type of the vehicle. Therefore, it is considered that the directionin which the in-vehicle camera is attached to the vehicle body and thedirection in which the pipeline (nozzle bracket or joint member, etc.)for passing high-pressure air is attached do not match in many cases.Since the nozzle for injecting high-pressure air is attached to aposition close to the in-vehicle camera, the spaces required for eachattaching work sometimes interfere with each other when the attachmentdirections of the in-vehicle camera and the pipeline are different. Alsoin this case, the work efficiency when attaching the foreign matterremoval device to the vehicle is lowered.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a foreign matterremoval device capable of enhancing the work efficiency when attachingthe foreign matter removal device to an object such as a vehicle whilemaintaining the performance of removing foreign matters, and a vehicleequipped with the foreign matter removal device.

Further, generally, there is a restriction on the space between thegarnish and the body panel and the size of the opening portion of thegarnish. Therefore, in the method of assembling the nozzle on adedicated bracket as in Patent Document 1, the camera and the nozzlecannot be assembled to the body panel in a state in which the garnish isattached to the body panel. Accordingly, after detaching the garnishfrom the body panel and assembling the camera and the nozzle to the bodypanel, the garnish should be attached to the body panel again. As aresult, the versatility and the work efficiency when attaching theforeign matter removal device to the vehicle are deteriorated.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a foreignmatter removal device capable of enhancing the versatility and the workefficiency when attaching the foreign matter removal device to an objectsuch as a vehicle while maintaining the performance of removing foreignmatters, and a vehicle equipped with the foreign matter removal device.

Means for Solving the Problems

In order to achieve the above object, a foreign matter removal device ofthe present invention removes foreign matters adhering to a lensincluded in an in-vehicle camera, the foreign matter removal devicecomprising:

a camera bracket that attaches the in-vehicle camera to a body panel ofa vehicle in a state in which the lens is exposed toward the outside ofthe body panel of the vehicle,

a high-pressure air generation unit disposed inside the body panel andconfigured to generate high-pressure air; and

a nozzle unit provided with a nozzle that injects the high-pressure airtoward the lens,

wherein a through-hole is formed in the camera bracket, and

the high-pressure air generated by the high-pressure air generation unitpasses from the inside to the outside of the body panel through thethrough-hole, and is injected from the nozzle toward the lens.

According to this configuration, the high-pressure air generated by thehigh-pressure air generation unit can pass from the inside to theoutside of the body panel of the vehicle through the through-hole formedin the camera bracket. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a hole forpassing the high-pressure air in the body panel of the vehicle. In thisway, the work efficiency when attaching the foreign matter removaldevice to the vehicle is enhanced.

Further, in the foreign matter removal device of the present invention,

the through-hole may be a pipeline through which the high-pressure airpasses.

According to this configuration, the high-pressure air can pass from theinside to the outside of the body panel of the vehicle via thethrough-hole formed in the camera bracket

Further, in the foreign matter removal device of the present invention,

the high-pressure air generation unit may have a discharge port thatdischarges the high-pressure air,

the pipeline may have a pipeline inlet into which the high-pressure airflows and a pipeline outlet from which the high-pressure air flows out,and

the foreign matter removal device may further comprise

a hose that connects the discharge port and the pipeline inlet; and

a joint member that connects the hose and the pipeline inlet.

According to this configuration, the high-pressure air passes from thehigh-pressure air generation unit in the order of the hose, the jointmember and the pipeline, and can pass from the inside to the outside ofthe body panel of the vehicle while maintaining its flow velocity.

Further, in the foreign matter removal device of the present invention,

the nozzle may have an inlet port into which the high-pressure airflows,

the inlet port may be larger than the pipeline outlet, and

a gap may be formed between an outer peripheral surface of the pipelineand an inner peripheral surface of the inlet port in a state in whichthe nozzle communicates with the pipeline.

According to this configuration, an assembly work at the time ofcommunicating the nozzle with the pipeline is facilitated.

Further, in the foreign matter removal device of the present invention,

the joint member may be formed integrally with the camera bracket.

According to this configuration, since the work of attaching the jointmember to the pipeline is omitted, the work efficiency when attachingthe foreign matter removal device to the vehicle is further improved.

Further, in the foreign matter removal device of the present invention,

the nozzle unit may be formed integrally with the camera bracket.

According to this configuration, it is not necessary to prepare adedicated bracket for attaching the nozzle unit to the body panel of thevehicle. Therefore, the versatility during attachment is improved, andthe work efficiency when attaching the foreign matter removal device tothe vehicle is further improved.

Further, in the foreign matter removal device of the present invention,

the nozzle unit may be attached to a housing of the in-vehicle cameravia an adhesive member.

According to this configuration, it is not necessary to prepare adedicated bracket for attaching the nozzle unit to the body panel of thevehicle. Therefore, the versatility during attachment is improved, andthe work efficiency when attaching the foreign matter removal device tothe vehicle is further improved.

Further, in the foreign matter removal device of the present invention,

the high-pressure air generation unit may have a discharge port fromwhich the high-pressure air flows out,

the nozzle may have an inlet port into which the high-pressure airflows,

the foreign matter removal device may further comprise a hose thatconnects the discharge port and the inlet port, and

the hose may pass through the through-hole.

According to this configuration, since the hose passes from the insideto the outside of the body panel through the through-hole of the camerabracket, it is possible to simply realize a configuration in which thehigh-pressure air passes to the outside of the body panel.

Further, a foreign matter removal device of the present inventionremoves foreign matters adhering to a lens of a camera, the foreignmatter removal device comprising:

a camera bracket that attaches the camera to a panel member in a statein which the lens is exposed toward the outside of the panel member,

a high-pressure air generation unit disposed inside the panel member andconfigured to generate high-pressure air; and

a nozzle unit provided with a nozzle that injects the high-pressure airtoward the lens,

wherein a through-hole is formed in the camera bracket, and

the high-pressure air generated by the high-pressure air generation unitpasses from the inside to the outside of the panel member through thethrough-hole, and is injected from the nozzle toward the lens.

According to this configuration, the high-pressure air generated by thehigh-pressure air generation unit can pass from the inside to theoutside of the panel member through the through-hole formed in thecamera bracket. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a hole forpassing the high-pressure air in the panel member. In this way, the workefficiency when attaching the foreign matter removal device to thevehicle is enhanced.

Further, a foreign matter removal device of the present inventionremoves foreign matters adhering to a partition wall interposed betweenan in-vehicle sensor and a measuring target of the in-vehicle sensor,the foreign matter removal device comprising:

a bracket that attaches the in-vehicle sensor to a panel member in astate in which the partition wall is exposed toward the outside of thepanel member,

a high-pressure air generation unit disposed inside the panel member andconfigured to generate high-pressure air; and

a nozzle unit provided with a nozzle that injects the high-pressure airtoward the partition wall,

wherein a through-hole is formed in the bracket, and

the high-pressure air generated by the high-pressure air generation unitpasses from the inside to the outside of the panel member through thethrough-hole, and is injected from the nozzle toward the partition wall.

Further, a vehicle of the present invention comprises the foreign matterremoval device described above.

According to this configuration, for example, even when a lens of anin-vehicle camera becomes dirty due to rain, mud or the like, foreignmatters on the lens can be removed by blowing high-pressure air thereto.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, a foreign matter removaldevice of the present invention removes foreign matters adhering on alens of an in-vehicle camera attached to a vehicle so that the lens ofthe in-vehicle camera is exposed toward the outside of a body panel of avehicle, the foreign matter removal device comprising:

a high-pressure air generation unit disposed inside the body panel andconfigured to generate high-pressure air,

a nozzle unit including a nozzle that injects the high-pressure airtoward the lens and attached to a housing of the in-vehicle camera; and

a pipeline that passes the high-pressure air generated by thehigh-pressure air generation unit from the inside to the outside of thebody panel,

wherein the pipeline has a pipeline inlet into which the high-pressureair flows and a pipeline outlet from which the high-pressure air flowsout,

the nozzle has an inlet port into which the high-pressure air flows,

the inlet port is larger than the pipeline outlet, and

the pipeline outlet is inserted into the inlet port.

According to this configuration, since the nozzle unit is attached tothe housing of the in-vehicle camera, the nozzle of the nozzle unit andthe pipeline are communicated with each other when the in-vehicle camerais attached to the body panel of the vehicle. At this time, since theinlet port of the nozzle is larger than the pipeline outlet, the nozzleand the pipeline are difficult to come into contact with each other.Further, the positioning between the nozzle and the lens is completedwhen the nozzle unit is attached to the housing of the in-vehiclecamera. Therefore, an assembly worker can perform an operation ofattaching the in-vehicle camera to the body panel without worrying aboutthe positioning accuracy between the nozzle and the lens. In this way,according to the above configuration, it is possible to improve the workefficiency when attaching the foreign matter removal device to thevehicle while maintaining the performance of removing foreign matters.

Further, in the foreign matter removal device of the present invention,

in a state in which the nozzle unit is attached to the housing, anattachment direction when the in-vehicle camera is attached to the bodypanel, and a communication direction when the nozzle and the pipelineare communicated with each other may intersect with each other.

In the case where the attachment direction when the in-vehicle camera isattached to the body panel, and the communication direction when thenozzle and the pipeline are communicated with each other intersect witheach other, the nozzle and the pipeline are more likely to come intocontact with each other, as compared with a case where the attachmentdirection and the communication direction coincide. However, accordingto the above configuration, since the inlet port of the nozzle is largerthan the pipeline outlet, the nozzle and the pipeline are difficult tocome into contact with each other, so that the efficiency of theassembly work can be improved.

Further, in the foreign matter removal device of the present invention,

in a state in which the in-vehicle camera is attached to the body panel,the nozzle may communicate with the pipeline in a state in which a gapis formed between an outer peripheral surface of the pipeline and aninner peripheral surface of the nozzle.

According to this configuration, even when the clogging of the ejectingport of the nozzle temporarily occurs, the air intake for generatinghigh-pressure air can be performed by using the gap because the gapbetween the outer peripheral surface of the pipeline and the innerperipheral surface of the nozzle can function as a bypass path.

Further, in the foreign matter removal device of the present invention,

a rib that prevents water from intruding into the gap from the outsidemay be provided on the pipeline.

According to this configuration, since water hardly intrudes into thegap, it is easy to maintain the performance of removing foreign matterseven in rainy weather or the like.

Further, the foreign matter removal device of the present invention maycomprise a camera bracket that attaches the in-vehicle camera to thebody panel,

wherein the pipeline may be formed in the camera bracket.

According to this configuration, the efficiency of the operation ofattaching the in-vehicle camera to the body panel is improved.

Further, a foreign matter removal device of the present inventionremoves foreign matters adhering on a lens of a camera attached to avehicle so that the lens of the camera is exposed toward the outside ofa panel member, the foreign matter removal device comprising:

a high-pressure air generation unit disposed inside the panel member andconfigured to generate high-pressure air,

a nozzle unit including a nozzle that injects the high-pressure airtoward the lens and attached to a housing of the camera; and

a pipeline that passes the high-pressure air generated by thehigh-pressure air generation unit from the inside to the outside of thepanel member,

wherein the pipeline has a pipeline inlet into which the high-pressureair flows and a pipeline outlet from which the high-pressure air flowsout,

the nozzle has an inlet port into which the high-pressure air flows,

the inlet port is larger than the pipeline outlet, and

the pipeline outlet is inserted into the inlet port.

According to this configuration, since the nozzle unit is attached tothe housing of the camera, the nozzle of the nozzle unit and thepipeline are communicated with each other when the camera is attached tothe panel member. At this time, since the inlet port of the nozzle islarger than the pipeline outlet, the nozzle and the pipeline aredifficult to come into contact with each other. Further, the positioningbetween the nozzle and the lens is completed when the nozzle unit isattached to the housing of the camera. Therefore, an assembly worker canperform an operation of attaching the camera to the panel member withoutworrying about the positioning accuracy between the nozzle and the lens.In this way, according to the above configuration, it is possible toimprove the work efficiency when attaching the foreign matter removaldevice to the vehicle while maintaining the performance of removingforeign matters.

Further, a foreign matter removal device of the present inventionremoves foreign matters adhering to a partition wall interposed betweenan in-vehicle sensor and a measuring target of the in-vehicle sensor,the foreign matter removal device comprising:

a high-pressure air generation unit disposed inside a panel member andconfigured to generate high-pressure air,

a nozzle unit including a nozzle that injects the high-pressure airtoward the partition wall and attached to a housing of the in-vehiclesensor; and

a pipeline that passes the high-pressure air generated by thehigh-pressure air generation unit from the inside to the outside of thepanel member,

wherein the pipeline has a pipeline inlet into which the high-pressureair flows and a pipeline outlet from which the high-pressure air flowsout,

the nozzle has an inlet port into which the high-pressure air flows,

the inlet port is larger than the pipeline outlet, and

the pipeline outlet is inserted into the inlet port.

Further, a vehicle of the present invention comprises the foreign matterremoval device described above.

According to this configuration, for example, even when a lens of anin-vehicle camera becomes dirty due to rain, mud or the like, foreignmatters on the lens can be removed by blowing high-pressure air thereto.

Further, a foreign matter removal device of the present inventionremoves foreign matters adhering on a lens of an in-vehicle cameraattached to a vehicle so that the lens of the in-vehicle camera isexposed toward the outside of a vehicle body panel, the foreign matterremoval device comprising:

a generation unit that generates high-pressure air; and

a nozzle that injects the high-pressure air toward the lens,

wherein the nozzle is attached to an inner surface of the vehicle bodypanel, and a tip end portion thereof protrudes to the outside of thevehicle through a gap formed between the vehicle body panel and thein-vehicle camera and is disposed to face the front surface of the lens.

The “vehicle body panel” includes a body panel of a vehicle, or agarnish provided outside the body panel.

According to the above configuration, the nozzle is attached to theinner surface of the vehicle body panel of the vehicle, and the tip endportion of the nozzle is provided to protrude to the outside of thevehicle through the gap formed between the vehicle body panel and thein-vehicle camera. Therefore, when attaching the camera and the nozzleto the vehicle, the nozzle can be attached to the inner surface of thevehicle body panel, and then, the camera can be attached to the vehiclebody panel by being inserted from the opening portion of the vehiclebody panel. Therefore, the tip end portion of the nozzle can be placedwithout interfering with the in-vehicle camera attached to the vehiclebody panel. In this way, there is no need for post-processing to thevehicle body panel in order to attach the foreign matter removal device,and the versatility and work efficiency when attaching the foreignmatter removal device to the vehicle are improved.

Preferably, the tip end portion of the nozzle has an opening shape whichis bent to the opposite side of the side facing the lens and then isbent again toward the side of the lens.

According to the above configuration, even when the gap between thegarnish and the camera attaching member is narrow, the optimum positionof the tip end portion of the nozzle with respect to the lens of thein-vehicle camera can be secured by forming the tip end portion of thenozzle bent in a substantially S shape, so that the performance ofremoving foreign matters can be maintained.

Preferably, an angle formed by a line passing through the center of anejecting port of the nozzle and a tangential line of the apex of thelens is 0° or more but 60° or less.

Preferably, when the lens is divided into six equal parts in an upperand lower direction, the line passing through the center of the ejectingport of the nozzle intersects with the second region from the top of thelens.

According to this configuration, the high-pressure air can be easilyblown onto the entire surface of the lens, thereby enhancing theperformance of removing foreign matters.

Preferably, the tip end portion of the nozzle includes an inner memberfacing the lens and an outer member disposed on the side opposite to thelens across the inner member, and

the inner member and the outer member are coupled to form the tip endportion having a hollow shape.

According to the above configuration, by dividing the tip end portion ofthe nozzle into the inner member and the outer member and coupling andassembling these members, the degree of freedom in designing the shapeof the tip end portion can be improved and the cost associated with themold fabrication can be reduced.

Preferably, the tip end portion further includes a connecting portionthat connects the inner member and the outer member, and

the inner member and the outer member are coupled by bending theconnecting portion.

According to the above configuration, since the inner member and theouter member are connected to each other via the connecting portion, itis easy to couple the inner member and the outer member to each other.

Further, a foreign matter removal device according to another example ofthe present invention removes foreign matters on a lens of a cameraattached to a panel member so that the lens of the camera is exposedtoward the outside of the panel member, the foreign matter removaldevice comprising:

a generation unit that generates high-pressure air; and

a nozzle that injects the high-pressure air toward the lens,

wherein the nozzle is attached to an inner surface of the panel member,and a tip end portion thereof protrudes to the outside of the panelmember through a gap formed between the panel member and the camera andis disposed to face the front surface of the lens.

According to the above configuration, when attaching the camera and thenozzle to the panel member, the nozzle can be attached to the innersurface of the panel member, and then, the camera can be attached to thepanel member by being inserted from the opening portion of the panelmember. Therefore, the tip end portion of the nozzle can be placedwithout interfering with the camera attached to the panel member. Inthis way, there is no need for post-processing to the panel member inorder to attach the foreign matter removal device, and the versatilityand work efficiency when attaching the foreign matter removal device tothe vehicle are improved.

Further, a foreign matter removal device according to the presentinvention removes foreign matters adhering to a partition wallinterposed between an in-vehicle sensor and a measuring target of thein-vehicle sensor, the foreign matter removal device comprising:

a generation unit that generates high-pressure air; and

a nozzle that injects the high-pressure air toward the partition wall,

wherein the nozzle is attached to an inner surface of a panel member,and a tip end portion thereof protrudes to the outside of the panelmember through a gap formed between the panel member and the in-vehiclesensor and is disposed to face the front surface of the partition wall.

Further, a vehicle of the present invention comprises the foreign matterremoval device described above.

According to this configuration, for example, even when a lens of anin-vehicle camera becomes dirty due to rain, mud or the like, foreignmatters on the lens can be removed by blowing high-pressure air thereto,thereby enhancing the accuracy of information obtained from thein-vehicle camera.

Effects of Invention

According to the foreign matter removal device and the vehicle equippedwith the foreign matter removal device of the present invention, it ispossible to enhance the work efficiency when attaching the foreignmatter removal device to a vehicle.

Further, according to the foreign matter removal device of the presentinvention, it is possible to enhance the versatility and the workefficiency when attaching the foreign matter removal device to a vehiclewhile maintain the performance of removing foreign matters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a rear view (a foreign matter removal device is shown in aperspective view) of a vehicle, FIG. 1B is a side view (the foreignmatter removal device is shown in a perspective view) of a rear part ofthe vehicle, and FIG. 1C is a partial enlarged view of the rear part ofthe vehicle.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are views showing another example of a position wherethe foreign matter removal device is attached.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a foreign matter removal deviceaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration view of a high-pressure air generation unitincluded in the foreign matter removal device.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the attachment position of an in-vehiclecamera included in the foreign matter removal device.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views for explaining a camera bracket assembled tothe in-vehicle camera.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG.6B.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are views for explaining a modified example of thecamera bracket.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG.6B.

FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C are views for explaining a procedure ofassembling the camera bracket.

FIG. 11A is a rear view (a foreign matter removal device is shown in aperspective view) of a vehicle, and FIG. 11B is a side view (the foreignmatter removal device is shown in a perspective view) of a rear part ofthe vehicle.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are views showing another example of the positionwhere the foreign matter removal device is attached.

FIG. 13 is configuration view of a high-pressure air generation unitincluded in a foreign matter removal device according to a secondembodiment.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an in-vehicle camera and a nozzleunit attached to a garnish.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the nozzle unit.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing an example of attachment of thenozzle unit and the in-vehicle camera to the garnish.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are schematic configuration views showing a positionalrelationship between a nozzle included in the foreign matter removaldevice and a lens of the in-vehicle camera.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are perspective views showing a state in which aninner member and an outer member constituting the nozzle unit are notengaged, and FIGS. 18C and 18D are perspective views showing a state inwhich the inner member and the outer member are engaged.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view showing an example of attachment of a nozzleunit-integrated bracket on which the in-vehicle camera is mounted to thegarnish in a reference example.

EMBODIMENT FOR CARRYING OUT INVENTION

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment according to the presentinvention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

For example, a foreign matter removal device of the present invention isapplied as a device for removing foreign matters such as water droplets,mud and dust adhering to a lens of an in-vehicle camera.

First Embodiment

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a foreign matter removal device 1 isattached to a back door 200A of a vehicle V, for example. The foreignmatter removal device 1 is provided with a motor 55, and a power supplyterminal of the motor 55 is connected to a power supply line of avehicle. For example, with the triggering that a gear of the vehicle Venters a reverse mode, a vehicle control unit (ECU; not shown) causes anin-vehicle camera 100 (to be described later) to start photographing,and the foreign matter removal device 1 is controlled to operate by thevehicle control unit (ECU) within several seconds at the start ofphotographing, for example.

The in-vehicle camera 100 is a camera for confirming, for example, therear side of the vehicle V and, as shown in FIG. 1C, a lens 101 of thein-vehicle camera 100 is attached to the back door 200A so that it isexposed toward the outside of the back door 200A of the vehicle V. Thein-vehicle camera 100 is provided with an imaging unit (not shown), andthe lens 101 covers the imaging unit. As the lens, a simple translucentcover that does not converge or diffuse light is also included in thelens of this example.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the foreign matter removaldevice 1 may be attached to a rear bumper 200B of the vehicle V, forexample. Meanwhile, the position at which the in-vehicle camera 100 isattached is not limited to the rear end side of the vehicle but may be abody panel such as the front side or lateral side of the vehicle.Further, in this example, the meaning of the phrase, “to be attached tothe body panel,” includes, for example, a case where the in-vehiclecamera is attached via a vehicle mounted component such as a lamp, adoor knob, a mirror, a bumper attached to the body panel and a casewhere the in-vehicle camera is mounted as a part (as an integral body)of these components.

Further, the “body panel” of the vehicle may be a panel memberconstituting the vehicle and may include at least a back door, a frontpanel constituting the front side of the vehicle, a side panelconstituting the side of the vehicle, a front bumper, a side bumper, arear bumper, and a cover member (garnish, etc.) for design. Further, the“outer side of the body panel” means a direction in which, among thesurfaces constituting the above-described panel member, an outer surfaceexposed toward the outside of the vehicle faces, and the “inner side ofthe body panel” means a direction in which an inner surface on the sideopposite to the above-described outer surface faces.

As shown in FIG. 3, the foreign matter removal device 1 includes anozzle unit 2, a camera bracket 91, a joint member 3, a hose 4, ahigh-pressure air generation unit 5, and an in-vehicle camera 100.

The nozzle unit 2 is configured to be removably attached to thein-vehicle camera 100. The nozzle unit 2 includes an attachment part 21and a nozzle 22. The nozzle unit 2 is formed of resin material, forexample.

The attachment part 21 is attached to a housing 102 of the in-vehiclecamera 100 so as to cover a top surface of the in-vehicle camera 100.The nozzle 22 injects high-pressure air toward a lens 101 of thein-vehicle camera 100. The nozzle 22 is formed integrally with theattachment part 21. The nozzle 22 is provided in such a way that a tipend of the nozzle 22 faces the lens 101 when the attachment part 21 isattached to the housing 102. Here, the phrase, “formed integrally with,”means that an operator can handle the nozzle 22 and the attachment part21 as an integral part during assembly work. Specifically, for example,the nozzle 22 and the attachment part 21 may be molded of the samematerial and in the same mold. Alternatively, the nozzle 22 and theattachment part 21 may be respectively molded of separate materials, andthen, fitted together and formed integrally, thereby constituting thenozzle unit 2. Further, the case of describing the expression“integrally formed” with respect to other members is also defined in thesame way.

The in-vehicle camera 100 is attached to the body panel of the vehicle Vby the camera bracket 91. Further, the camera bracket 91 communicatesthe nozzle 22 and the joint member 3.

The joint member 3 is a member for joining the camera bracket 91 and thehose 4. One end portion of the joint member 3 is connected to the camerabracket 91 and the opposite end portion thereof is connected to the hose4. The joint member 3 is formed of resin material, for example.

The hose 4 is a piping member that connects, together with the jointmember 3, the nozzle 22 and a high-pressure air generation unit 5. Oneend portion of the hose 4 is connected to the joint member 3 and theopposite end portion thereof is connected to a discharge port 50 of thehigh-pressure air generation unit 5. The hose 4 is formed of, forexample, a material such as resin or rubber.

The high-pressure air generation unit 5 is a unit for generatinghigh-pressure air to be fed to the nozzle 22. The high-pressure airgeneration unit 5 is attached to a part of a vehicle body at the insideof a vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 4, the high-pressure air generation unit 5 includes ahousing (case main body) 51 and a moving mechanism (generation unit) 65disposed inside the housing 51. The moving mechanism 65 generateshigh-pressure air. Of a moving direction of a piston 52 in thehigh-pressure air generation unit 5, a rearward direction that is adirection of feeding out air refers to a feeding direction, and aforward direction that is opposite to the feeding direction refers to aforce accumulation direction.

In an initial state before high-pressure air is fed out, the piston 52is positioned on the feeding direction side, and a rack 53 is positionedin a state where a rack portion 53 a is engageable with a gear portion54 a of a pinion 54.

When the driving of the motor (driving source) 55 is started and adriving force of the motor 55 is transmitted to a worm wheel 57 via aworm 56, the gear portion 54 a of the pinion 54 is meshed with the rackportion 53 a of the rack 53. Therefore, the rack 53 moves in the forceaccumulation direction against an urging force of an urging spring(elastic member) 58 in accordance with the rotation of the pinion 54. Asthe rack 53 moves in the force accumulation direction, the meshingbetween the gear portion 54 a and the rack portion 53 a is released at apredetermined position. The position (position shown in FIG. 4) wherethe meshing between the gear portion 54 a and the rack portion 53 a isreleased is set as the bottom dead center of the piston 52. In a statein which the piston 52 is positioned at the bottom dead center, the air(outside air) flowing into a substantially front half portion (secondspace) 60 b of an internal space 60 of a piston support portion 59passes through a gap 61 b along a step 61 a and flows toward asubstantially rear half portion (first space) 60 a of the internal space60.

When the piston 52 is moved to the bottom dead center, the meshingbetween the gear portion 54 a and the rack portion 53 a is released, andthe piston 52 is moved in the feeding direction at a speed higher thanthe moving speed in the force accumulation direction by an urging forceof the urging spring 58. In this way, the air flowing from the secondspace 60 b to the first space 60 a passes through the discharge port 50of a connection protrusion 62 from the first space 60 a and is fedtoward the nozzle 22 of the nozzle unit 2 via the hose 4. At this time,since the diameter of the discharge port 50 is smaller than that of thepiston support portion 59, the air discharged from the first space 60 athrough the discharge port 50 is compressed into high-pressure air andis fed out. The moving mechanism 65 repeatedly moves the piston 52 at ahigh speed to continuously generate high-pressure air.

As shown in FIG. 5, the in-vehicle camera 100 is fixed to a rear bumperpanel (an example of the panel member) 200 b constituting an outersurface of the rear bumper 200B of the vehicle V, for example. A hole210 for attaching the in-vehicle camera 100 is formed in the rear bumperpanel 200 b. The in-vehicle camera 100 is fixed to the rear bumper panel200 b via the camera bracket 91 in a state of being fitted into the hole210. In this example, a part including the lens of the in-vehicle camera100 is disposed to be exposed to the outside of the rear bumper 200B anda high-pressure air generation unit (not shown) is disposed inside therear bumper 200B.

FIG. 6A shows the in-vehicle camera 100 and the nozzle unit 2 to beassembled to the camera bracket 91. FIG. 6B shows a state in which thein-vehicle camera 100 and the nozzle unit 2 are assembled to the camerabracket 91. Further, FIG. 7 shows a sectional view taken along the arrowC-C in FIG. 6B. In FIG. 7, a part of the rear bumper panel 200 b isshown in order to understand the positional relationship of thein-vehicle camera 100 with respect to the rear bumper panel 200 b.

As shown in FIG. 7, the camera bracket 91 attaches the in-vehicle camera100 to the rear bumper panel 200 b in a state in which the lens 101 ofthe in-vehicle camera 100 is exposed toward the outside of the rearbumper panel 200 b.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the camera bracket 91 is provided with apipeline (an example of the through-hole) 92, and an opening portion 95.The pipeline 92 is a pipe that connects the joint member 3 and thenozzle 22. The pipeline 92 has a joint-side connecting portion 92A at anend portion on the side to which the joint member 3 is connected and hasa nozzle-side connecting portion 92B at an end portion on the side towhich the nozzle 22 is connected. A communication passage through whichhigh-pressure air passes is formed in the pipeline 92. A pipeline inlet93 into which high-pressure air flows is provided at the joint-sideconnecting portion 92A, and a pipeline outlet 94 through whichhigh-pressure air is discharged is provided in the nozzle-sideconnecting portion 92B.

The opening portion 95 is a portion in which the in-vehicle camera 100is housed. The in-vehicle camera 100 has a connector part 103 providedwith a power supply terminal, a signal terminal and the like. Theconnector part 103 is provided, for example, on the back portion of thein-vehicle camera 100 on the side opposite to the front side where thelens 101 of the in-vehicle camera 100 is provided.

The in-vehicle camera 100 includes the housing 102 having asubstantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The lens 101 of thein-vehicle camera 100 is provided in the housing 102 in a state in whicha part thereof is exposed from the front surface of the housing 102.

The nozzle unit 2 is adhered to an upper surface 102A of the housing 102via an adhesive member (e.g., double-sided tape) 25. The nozzle 22 ofthe nozzle unit 2 has a communication portion 22A, an extending portion22B, and an ejecting portion 22C. The communication portion 22A is aportion that communicates with a pipeline outlet 94 of the pipeline 92.An inlet port 23 into which high-pressure air flows is provided in thecommunication portion 22A. The extending portion 22B is a portion thatcommunicates the communication portion 22A and the ejecting portion 22C.The ejecting portion 22C is a portion from which high-pressure air isejected. The ejecting portion 22C is provided with an ejecting port 24which opens horizontally (e.g., in a rectangular shape or in anelliptical shape, etc.). The high-pressure air flowing into the inletport 23 of the communication portion 22A passes through a communicationpassage formed in the communication portion 22A, the extending portion22B, and the ejecting portion 22C and is ejected from the ejecting port24 of the ejecting portion 22C.

The joint member 3 is connected to a pipeline inlet 93 of the pipeline92 of the camera bracket 91. The joint member 3 in this example isformed integrally with the camera bracket 91. Meanwhile, the jointmember 3 and the camera bracket 91 may be prepared as separate parts andmay be combined with each other at the time of assembly.

The in-vehicle camera 100 and the nozzle unit 2 having such aconfiguration are assembled to the camera bracket 91 in the followingprocedure. First, the nozzle 22 is adhered to the upper surface 102A ofthe in-vehicle camera 100 by the adhesive member 25. In this case, theejecting port 24 of the nozzle 22 is adjusted and adhered so as to facethe center point of the in-vehicle camera 100. Subsequently, theconnector part 103 of the in-vehicle camera 100 is inserted into theopening portion 95 of the camera bracket 91. In the in-vehicle camera100, the portion on the side of the lens 101 is rotated in a directionof the upper surface 102A of the in-vehicle camera 100 about the endportion on the side of the connector part 103 inserted, and the nozzle22 adhered to the upper surface 102A is brought close to the pipeline 92of the camera bracket 91. As the in-vehicle camera 100 is furtherrotated, the pipeline outlet 94 of the nozzle-side connecting portion92B of the pipeline 92 is inserted into the inlet port 23 of thecommunication portion 22A of the nozzle 22, and the nozzle 22communicates with the pipeline 92. In this state, for example, anengaging portion of the camera bracket 91 is engaged with an engagingportion of the in-vehicle camera 100, so that the assembly is completed.

Meanwhile, the nozzle unit 2 may be formed integrally with the camerabracket 91. In this case, the nozzle unit 2 is assembled integrally withthe camera bracket 91 so that an assembly path through which thein-vehicle camera 100 can be assembled into the opening portion 95 issecured with respect to the opening portion 95 of the camera bracket 91.

As shown in FIG. 7, a sectional area of the pipeline outlet 94 of thenozzle-side connecting portion 92B is smaller than that of the inletport 23 of the communication portion 22A. Therefore, in a state in whichthe nozzle 22 communicates with the pipeline 92, gaps 96A, 96B areformed between an outer peripheral surface of the nozzle-side connectingportion 92B and an inner peripheral surface of the communication portion22A. The gap 96A communicates with a communication passage 71 in thenozzle 22 via an opening 97, and the gap 96B communicates with thecommunication passage 71 via an opening 98. A sectional area d1 of theopening 97 and a sectional area d2 of the opening 98 are smaller thanthat of the ejecting port 24 of the nozzle 22, respectively.

The in-vehicle camera 100 assembled to the camera bracket 91 is attachedto the rear bumper panel 200 b by being fitted into the hole 210 formedin the rear bumper panel 200 b. High-pressure air is sent from the jointmember 3 to the nozzle 22 through the pipeline 92 and is injected towardthe lens 101.

According to this configuration, the high-pressure air generated by thehigh-pressure air generation unit 5 can pass from the inside to theoutside of the rear bumper panel 200 b via the pipeline 92 provided inthe camera bracket 91. Therefore, it is not necessary to form adedicated hole for passing the high-pressure air in the rear bumperpanel 200 b. In this way, the work efficiency when attaching the foreignmatter removal device 1 to the vehicle V is enhanced. Meanwhile, theexpression “passing from the inside to the outside of the body panel” inthis example means that the high-pressure air moves from the internalspace to the external space of the panel member such as theabove-described rear bumper panel.

Further, the high-pressure air passes from the high-pressure airgeneration unit 5 in the order of the hose 4, the joint member 3 and thepipeline 92, and can pass from the inside to the outside of the rearbumper panel 200 b while maintaining its flow velocity.

Further, when assembling the in-vehicle camera 100 with the nozzle 22attached thereto to the camera bracket 91, the pipeline outlet 94 of thepipeline 92 having a small sectional area is inserted into the inletport 23 of the nozzle 22 having a large sectional area so as tocommunicate the nozzle 22 and the pipeline 92 with each other. Accordingto this configuration, the assembly work for communicating the nozzle 22with the pipeline 92 is facilitated, so that the work efficiency isimproved. Further, when assembling the in-vehicle camera 100 to thecamera bracket 91, the communication portion 22A of the nozzle 22 can beassembled without contacting the nozzle-side connecting portion 92B ofthe pipeline 92. In this way, it is possible to prevent the position ofthe nozzle 22 from being deviated from the lens 101. Further, sincethere is little leakage of air when the high-pressure air moves from thepipeline 92 to the nozzle 22, it is possible to reduce the pressure losswhen the high-pressure air moves from the pipeline 92 to the nozzle 22.

Further, since the joint member 3 is formed integrally with the camerabracket 91, an operation of attaching the joint member 3 to the pipeline92 is omitted. Accordingly, the work efficiency when attaching theforeign matter removal device 1 to the vehicle V is further improved.

Further, since the nozzle unit 2 is formed integrally with the camerabracket 91, it is not necessary to prepare a dedicated bracket forattaching the nozzle unit 2 to the rear bumper panel 200 b. In this way,the versatility during attachment is improved, and the work efficiencywhen attaching the foreign matter removal device 1 to the vehicle V isfurther improved.

Further, since the nozzle unit 2 can be attached by the double-side tape25, it is not necessary to prepare a dedicated bracket for attaching thenozzle unit 2 to the rear bumper panel 200 b. In this way, theversatility during attachment is improved, and the work efficiency whenattaching the foreign matter removal device 1 to the vehicle V isfurther improved.

Further, since the foreign matter removal device 1 having such aconfiguration is mounted on the vehicle V, foreign matters on the lenscan be removed by blowing high-pressure air thereto, for example, evenwhen the lens 101 of the in-vehicle camera 100 becomes dirty due torain, mud or the like.

Next, a modified example of the pipeline (through-hole) 92 formed in thecamera bracket 91 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B.

FIG. 8A shows a state in which the camera bracket 91 to which thein-vehicle camera 110 is assembled is attached to an outer panel 200 cof the rear bumper 200B. FIG. 8B shows a through-hole 192 formed in thecamera bracket 91.

The through-hole 192 in the modified example is different from thepipeline (through-hole) 92 (see FIGS. 6A and 6B) formed so as tocommunicate the nozzle 22 and the joint member 3 with each other in thatit is the through-hole 192 through which the hose 4 passes.

The through-hole 192 is formed so as to penetrate the camera bracket 91in, for example, a direction substantially perpendicular to the surfacewhere the camera bracket 91 is attached to the outer panel 200 c. Thehose 4 is configured to pass through the through-hole 192 formed in thecamera bracket 91. One end of the hose 4 passing through thethrough-hole 192 is connected to the inlet port 23 of the nozzle 22disposed outside the outer panel 200 c. Further, the opposite end of thehose 4 is connected to a discharge port 50 of the high-pressure airgeneration unit (not shown) 5 disposed inside the outer panel 200 c. Thenozzle 22 is attached to the in-vehicle camera 100.

Meanwhile, in this example, a garnish 201 is provided so as to cover thein-vehicle camera 100 or the like which is disposed to protrude to theoutside of the outer panel 200 c.

According to this configuration, since the hose 4 passes from the insideto the outside of the outer panel 200 c through the through-hole 192 ofthe camera bracket 91, it is possible to simply realize a configurationin which the high-pressure air generated inside the outer panel 200 cpasses to the outside of the outer panel 200 c. Therefore, the workefficiency when attaching the foreign matter removal device 1 to thevehicle V is enhanced.

Meanwhile, as described above, the nozzle unit 2 may be formedintegrally with the camera bracket 91. In this case, the nozzle unit 2may be assembled integrally with the camera bracket 91 so that anassembly path through which the in-vehicle camera 100 can be assembledinto the opening portion 95 is secured with respect to the openingportion 95 of the camera bracket 91.

As shown in FIG. 9, a sectional area of the pipeline outlet 94 of thenozzle-side connecting portion 92B is smaller than that of the inletport 23 of the communication portion 22A. When the in-vehicle camera 100is assembled to the camera bracket 91, a part of the nozzle-sideconnecting portion 92B close to the pipeline outlet 94 is inserted intothe inlet port 23 of the communication portion 22A. In a state in whichthe nozzle 22 communicates with the pipeline 92, the gaps 96A, 96B areformed between the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle-sideconnecting portion 92B and the inner peripheral surface of thecommunication portion 22A. The gap 96A communicates with thecommunication passage 71 in the nozzle 22 via the opening 97 formedbetween a tip end portion (wall of the pipeline outlet 94) of thenozzle-side connecting portion 92B and the inner side of thecommunication portion 22A, and the gap 96B communicates with thecommunication passage 71 via the opening 98 formed in the same manner.

In the communication passage 71, a part of the communication passage 71close to the ejecting port 24 is formed by a wall of the nozzle 22 (theextending portion 22B and the ejecting portion 22C) and a shoulderportion of the front surface of the housing 102, and the like. Thesectional area d1 of the opening 97 and the sectional area d2 of theopening 98 are smaller than that of the ejecting port 24 of the nozzle22.

A cover portion (an example of the rib) 99 is formed at a tip endportion of the pipeline 92. The cover portion 99 constitutes a part ofthe nozzle-side connecting portion 92B and is formed at an outerperipheral side of the pipeline outlet 94. In a state in which thenozzle 22 communicates with the pipeline 92, the cover portion 99 isdisposed outside the communication portion 22A of the nozzle 22 so as tocover the communication portion 22A while leaving a gap approximatelyequal to the gap 96B.

The gap 96B communicates with the gap formed by the cover portion 99 andcommunicates with the outside of the nozzle 22 through an opening 118formed between a tip end portion of the cover portion 99 and thecommunication portion 22A of the nozzle 22. The gap 96A communicateswith the outside of the nozzle 22 via an opening 117 formed between theinner side of the nozzle-side connecting portion 92B and a tip endportion (wall of the inlet port 23) of the communication portion 22A.The gap 96A forms a bypass path together with the opening 97 and theopening 117, and the gap 96B forms a bypass path together with theopening 98 and the opening 118. These bypass paths communicate thecommunication passage 71 and the outside of the nozzle 22 with eachother.

The in-vehicle camera 100 assembled to the camera bracket 91 is attachedto the rear bumper panel 200 b by being fitted into the hole 210 formedin the rear bumper panel 200 b. High-pressure air is sent from the jointmember 3 to the nozzle 22 through the pipeline 92 and is injected towardthe lens 101.

The in-vehicle camera 100 having such a configuration is assembled tothe camera bracket 91 according to the procedures shown in FIGS. 10A to10C.

As a preparation step, the nozzle 22 is adhered to the upper surface102A of the in-vehicle camera 100 by the adhesive member 25. In thiscase, the ejecting port 24 of the nozzle 22 is adjusted and adhered soas to face the center point of the in-vehicle camera 100.

First, as shown in FIG. 10A, the in-vehicle camera 100 is inserted intothe camera bracket 91 (in a direction of arrow X) through the openingportion 95 of the camera bracket 91. At this time, the connector part103 of the in-vehicle camera 100 is inserted into an opening 120 formedin a rear wall of the camera bracket 91. In this example, the directionof the arrow X is set as the attachment direction when the in-vehiclecamera 100 is attached to the rear bumper panel 200 b.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10B, in the in-vehicle camera 100, theside of the lens 101 of the in-vehicle camera 100 is rotated in adirection of the upper surface 102A of the in-vehicle camera 100 aboutthe tip end side of the connector part 103 inserted. In this way, thenozzle 22 adhered to the upper surface 102A of the housing 102 isbrought close to the pipeline 92 of the camera bracket 91. In thisexample, the direction of the arrow Y is set as the communicationdirection when the nozzle 22 and the pipeline 92 are communicated witheach other. In this example, the attachment direction X and thecommunication direction Y intersect with each other (see FIG. 10C).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10C, when the in-vehicle camera 100 isfurther rotated in the communication direction, the nozzle-sideconnecting portion 92B of the pipeline 92 is inserted into the inletport 23 of the communication portion 22A of the nozzle 22, and thenozzle 22 communicates with the pipeline 92.

In this state, for example, an engaging portion of the camera bracket 91is engaged with an engaging portion of the in-vehicle camera 100, sothat the assembly is completed.

According to this configuration, since the nozzle unit 2 is attached tothe housing 102 of the in-vehicle camera 100, the nozzle 22 of thenozzle unit 2 and the pipeline 92 are communicated with each other whenthe in-vehicle camera 100 is attached to the rear bumper panel 200 b ofthe vehicle V. Since the inlet port 23 of the nozzle 22 is larger thanthe pipeline outlet 94 of the pipeline 92, the nozzle 22 and thepipeline 92 are difficult to come into contact with each other when thenozzle-side connecting portion 92B of the pipeline 92 is inserted intothe inlet port 23 of the nozzle 22. Further, according to the aboveconfiguration, since there is little leakage of air when thehigh-pressure air moves from the pipeline 92 to the nozzle 22, it ispossible to reduce the pressure loss when the high-pressure air movesfrom the pipeline 92 to the nozzle 22. Moreover, the positioning of thenozzle 22 of the nozzle unit 2 with respect to the lens 101 of thein-vehicle camera 100 is completed when the nozzle unit 2 is attached tothe housing 102 of the in-vehicle camera 100. Therefore, an assemblyworker can perform an operation of attaching the in-vehicle camera 100to the rear bumper panel 200 b without worrying about the positioningaccuracy between the nozzle 22 and the lens 101. In this way, it ispossible to improve the work efficiency when attaching the foreignmatter removal device to the vehicle while maintaining the performanceof removing foreign matters.

Further, the high-pressure air generated by the high-pressure airgeneration unit 5 can pass from the inside to the outside of the rearbumper panel 200 b via the pipeline 92 provided in the camera bracket91. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a dedicated hole for passingthe high-pressure air in the rear bumper panel 200 b. In this way, thework efficiency when attaching the foreign matter removal device 1 tothe vehicle V is enhanced. Meanwhile, the expression “passing from theinside to the outside of the body panel” in this example means that thehigh-pressure air moves from the internal space to the external space ofthe panel member such as the above-described rear bumper panel.

By the way, in the case where the attachment direction X when thein-vehicle camera 100 is attached to the rear bumper panel 200 b, andthe communication direction Y when the nozzle 22 and the pipeline 92 arecommunicated with each other intersect with each other, the nozzle 22and the pipeline 92 are more likely to come into contact with eachother, as compared with a case where the attachment direction X and thecommunication direction Y coincide.

On the contrary, according to the configuration of the presentembodiment, since the inlet port 23 of the nozzle 22 is formed largerthan the pipeline outlet 94 of the pipeline 92, the nozzle 22 and thepipeline 92 are difficult to come into contact with each other, so thatthe efficiency of the assembly work can be improved.

Further, even when the clogging of the ejecting port 24 of the nozzletemporarily occurs, the air intake for generating high-pressure air canbe performed by using the gaps 96A, 96B because the gaps 96A, 96Bbetween the outer peripheral surface of the pipeline 92 and the innerperipheral surface of the nozzle 22 can function as a bypass path.

Further, since the cover portion 99 is formed at the tip end portion ofthe pipeline 92, water hardly intrudes into the gap 96B and it is easyto maintain the performance of removing foreign matters even in rainyweather or the like.

Further, since the in-vehicle camera 100 is attached to the camerabracket 91 in advance, the efficiency of the operation of attaching thein-vehicle camera 100 to the rear bumper panel 200 b is improved.

Further, since the foreign matter removal device 1 having such aconfiguration is mounted on the vehicle V, foreign matters on the lenscan be removed by blowing high-pressure air thereto, for example, evenwhen the lens 101 of the in-vehicle camera 100 becomes dirty due torain, mud or the like.

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, a foreign matter removal device 1001 isattached to a back door 1200A of the vehicle V, for example. The foreignmatter removal device 1001 is provided with a drive source 1055, and apower supply terminal of the drive source 1055 is connected to a powersupply line of the vehicle V. For example, with the triggering that agear of the vehicle V enters a reverse mode, a vehicle control unit(ECU; not shown) causes an in-vehicle camera 1100 (to be describedlater) to start photographing, and the foreign matter removal device1001 is controlled to operate by the vehicle control unit (ECU) withinseveral seconds at the start of photographing, for example.

The foreign matter removal device 1001 includes a nozzle unit 1002, ahose 1004, and a high-pressure air generation unit (an example of thegeneration unit) 1005. The hose 1004 is a piping member that connectsthe nozzle unit 1002 and the high-pressure air generation unit 1005. Thehigh-pressure air generation unit 1005 is a unit for generatinghigh-pressure air to be fed to a nozzle 1022. The high-pressure airgeneration unit 1005 is attached to a part of a vehicle body at theinside of the vehicle V.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the foreign matter removaldevice 1001 may be attached to a rear bumper 1200B of the vehicle V, forexample.

As shown in FIG. 13, the high-pressure air generation unit 1005 includesa case body 1051 and a moving mechanism disposed inside the case body1051. Of a moving direction of a piston 1052 in the high-pressure airgeneration unit 1005, a rearward direction that is a direction offeeding out air refers to a feeding direction, and a forward directionthat is opposite to the feeding direction refers to a force accumulationdirection.

In an initial state before high-pressure air is fed out, the piston 1052is positioned on the feeding direction side, and a rack 1053 ispositioned in a state where a rack portion 1053 a is engageable with agear portion 1054 a of a pinion 1054.

When the driving of the motor (driving source) 1055 is started and adriving force of the motor 1055 is transmitted to a worm wheel 1057 viaa worm 1056, the gear portion 1054 a of the pinion 1054 is meshed withthe rack portion 1053 a of the rack 1053. Therefore, the rack 1053 movesin the force accumulation direction against an urging force of an urgingspring 1058 in accordance with the rotation of the pinion 1054. As therack 1053 moves in the force accumulation direction, the meshing betweenthe gear portion 1054 a and the rack portion 1053 a is released at apredetermined position. The position where the meshing between the gearportion 1054 a and the rack portion 1053 a is released is set as thebottom dead center of the piston 1052. In a state in which the piston1052 is positioned at the bottom dead center, the air (outside air)flowing into a substantially front half portion (second space) 1060 b ofan internal space 1060 of a piston support portion 1059 passes through agap 1061 b along a step 1061 a and flows toward a substantially rearhalf portion (first space) 1060 a of the internal space 1060.

When the piston 1052 is moved to the bottom dead center, the meshingbetween the gear portion 1054 a and the rack portion 1053 a is released,and the piston 1052 is moved in the feeding direction at a speed higherthan the moving speed in the force accumulation direction by an urgingforce of the urging spring 1058. In this way, the air flowing from thesecond space 1060 b to the first space 1060 a passes through a dischargeport 1050 of a connection protrusion 1062 from the first space 1060 aand is fed toward the nozzle 1022 of the nozzle unit 1002 via the hose1004. At this time, since the diameter of the discharge port 1050 issmaller than that of the piston support portion 1059, the air dischargedfrom the first space 1060 a through the discharge port 1050 iscompressed into high-pressure air and is fed out.

The in-vehicle camera 1100 is a camera for confirming, for example, therear side of a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 14, the in-vehicle camera 1100is attached to a garnish 1300 (an example of the vehicle body panel)provided outside a body panel 1210 constituting the back door 1200A viaa camera attaching member 1110. In this way, the in-vehicle camera 1100is disposed such that a lens 1101 of the in-vehicle camera 1100 isexposed toward the outside of the garnish 1300. The in-vehicle camera1100 is provided with an imaging unit (not shown), and the lens 1101covers the imaging unit. As the lens 1101, a simple translucent coverthat does not converge or diffuse light is also included in the lens ofthis example. Meanwhile, the position at which the in-vehicle camera1100 is attached is not limited to the rear end side of the vehicle butmay be a body panel such as the front side or lateral side of thevehicle. Further, the in-vehicle camera 1100 may be attached to thevehicle body via a vehicle mounted component such as a lamp, a doorknob, a mirror, a bumper attached to the body panel, or the in-vehiclecamera 1100 may be mounted as a part (as an integral body) of thesecomponents.

As shown in FIG. 14, the nozzle unit 1002 is attached to inner surfaces(surfaces facing the body panel 1210) 1301A, 1301B of the garnish 1300and is provided with an attachment part 1021 and the nozzle 1022. Thenozzle unit 1002 is formed of resin material, for example.

The garnish 1300 is formed in a substantially L shape in which a firstsurface 1301 a (see FIG. 16) having the inner surface 1301A extends in adirection substantially along the upper and lower direction of thevehicle, and a second surface 1301 b (see FIG. 16) having the innersurface 1301B extends in a direction substantially along the horizontaldirection of the vehicle. The attachment part 1021 has a firstattachment part 1021A and a second attachment part 1021B. The firstattachment part 1021A protrudes laterally from the nozzle 1022 and has afirst adhesive surface 1021A1 that is bonded to the first surface 1301 a(the inner surface 1301A) of the garnish 1300 by an adhesive tape T. Thesecond attachment part 1021B protrudes downward from the firstattachment part 1021A and has a second adhesive surface 1021B1 that isbonded to the second surface 1301 b (the inner surface 1301B) of thegarnish 1300 by the adhesive tape T. Meanwhile, the first attachmentpart 1021A and the second attachment part 1021B may adopt a bondingmethod using adhesion by an adhesive or engagement by screwing or thelike, in addition to the bonding method using the adhesive tape T suchas a double-sided tape.

The nozzle 1022 injects high-pressure air toward the lens 1101 of thein-vehicle camera 1100. The nozzle 1022 is formed integrally with theattachment part 1021. When the attachment part 1021 is attached to thegarnish 1300, the nozzle 1022 is provided such that a tip end of thenozzle 1022 faces the lens 1101. Here, the expression, “formedintegrally with,” means that a worker can handle the nozzle 1022 and theattachment part 1021 as an integral part during assembly work.Specifically, for example, the nozzle 1022 and the attachment part 1021may be molded of the same material and in the same mold. Alternatively,the nozzle 1022 and the attachment part 1021 may be respectively moldedof separate materials, and then, fitted together and formed integrally,thereby constituting the nozzle unit 1002.

As shown in FIG. 15, the nozzle 1022 includes a connecting portion1022A, an extending portion 1022B, and an ejecting portion 1022C. Theconnecting portion 1022A is a portion to which the hose 1004 isconnected. The connecting portion 1022A is provided with an inlet port1023 into which high-pressure air flows. The extending portion 1022B isa portion that communicates the connecting portion 1022A and theejecting portion 1022C with each other. The ejecting portion 1022C is aportion from which high-pressure air is ejected.

The ejecting portion 1022C has an opening shape which is bent to theopposite side of the side facing the lens 1101 and then is bent againtoward the side of the lens 1101. That is, the ejecting portion 1022C isformed in a substantially S shape and is disposed such that an ejectingport 1024 provided at a tip end thereof faces the front surface of thelens 1101, as shown in FIG. 16. The high-pressure air flowing into theinlet port 1023 of the connecting portion 1022A passes through acommunication passage formed in the extending portion 1022B and isejected from the ejecting port 1024 of the ejecting portion 1022C.

As shown in FIG. 16, in an opening portion 1302 of the garnish 1300, aconstant gap S is formed between the garnish 1300, and the in-vehiclecamera 1100 and the camera attaching member 1110 attached to the garnish1300. The ejecting portion 1022C of the nozzle 1022 protrudes to theoutside of the vehicle from the opening portion 1302 of the garnish 1300through the gap S.

As described above, the nozzle unit 1002 is configured to be removablyattached to the in-vehicle camera 1100. However, as shown in FIG. 17A,when an angle formed by a line C passing through the center of theejecting port 1024 of the nozzle 1022 and a tangential line L of theapex of the lens 1101 is defined as θ, the nozzle 1022 is positionedwith respect to the lens 1101 so that the angle θ is 0° or more but 60°or less. Preferably, the angle θ is 5° or more but 30° or less. In thisway, by arranging the ejecting port 1024 of the nozzle 1022 with respectto the lens 1101 while maintaining a predetermined slope, thehigh-pressure air can be easily blown onto the entire surface of thelens 1101, thereby enhancing the performance of removing water droplets.Meanwhile, in the case where the lens mounted on the in-vehicle camerais a planar lens (e.g., plano-concave lens) instead of the curved lens1101 as in the present embodiment, a line along the surface of theplanar lens is considered as the above tangential line L, and the nozzle1022 may be positioned with respect to the planar lens so that the angleθ formed by the surface of the lens and the center line C of theejecting port 1024 of the nozzle 1022 is 0° or more but 60° or less.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17B, when the lens 1101 is divided into sixequal parts in the upper and lower direction, and a first region 1101A,a second region 1101B, a third region 1101C, a fourth region 1101D, afifth region 1101E and a sixth region 1101F from the upper are defined,the center line C of the ejecting port 1024 of the nozzle 1022intersects with the second region 1101B which is the second portion fromthe top of the lens 1011. In this way, by positioning the ejecting port1024 of the nozzle 1022 toward a certain region (second region 101B) onthe upper side of the lens 1101, the high-pressure air can be easilyblown onto the entire surface of the lens 1101, thereby enhancing theperformance of removing water droplets.

As shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the ejecting portion 1022C is composed ofan inner member 1025, an outer member 1026, and a connecting portion1027. The inner member 1025 constitutes one wall facing the lens 1101 ina state in which the nozzle unit 1002 is attached to the garnish 1300.The inner member 1025 has a projection 1025 a protruding toward theouter member 1026. The outer member 1026 is disposed on the sideopposite to the lens 1101 across the inner member 1025 and constitutesthe other wall directly extending from the extending portion 1022B ofthe nozzle 1022. The outer member 1026 has a groove portion 1026 a forreceiving the projection 1025 a of the inner member 1025. The connectingportion 1027 is a member that connects the inner member 1025 and theouter member 1026, and is composed of two paired wire portions having asmall diameter. An outer shape of the inner member 1025 corresponds tothat of the groove portion 1026 a of the outer member 1026. As shown inFIGS. 18C and 18D, by bending the connecting portion 1027, the innermember 1025 is accommodated in the outer member 1026 (the inner member1025 and the outer member 1026 are coupled) to form the ejecting portion1022C having a hollow shape.

Next, the operation of the foreign matter removal device 1001 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 11A, 11B and 13 again.

When the driving of the drive motor in the high-pressure air generationunit 1005 is started, first, air (outside air) for generatinghigh-pressure air is sucked. The air is introduced from the ejectingport 1024 of the nozzle 1022, passes through the communication passagein the extending portion 1022B, and is sucked into the high-pressure airgeneration unit 1005 from the inlet port 1023. The sucked air is fedout, as high-pressure air, from the discharge port 1050 of thehigh-pressure air generation unit 1005 to the hose 1004 by piston motiondue to an urging force of the urging spring 1058. The high-pressure airis fed from the hose 1004 to the nozzle 1022 of the nozzle unit 1002through the joint member 1003.

The high-pressure air flows into the inlet port 1023 of the nozzle 1022and is ejected from the ejecting port 1024 through the communicationpassage. The high-pressure air ejected from the ejecting port 1024 isblown toward the lens 1101 of the in-vehicle camera 1100. In this way,foreign matters such as water droplets, dirt, mud or the like adheringto the lens 1101 are blown away, so that the dirt of the lens 1011 iseliminated.

By the way, in the configuration in which the nozzle unit 1002A ismolded integrally with a dedicated bracket 1110A for attaching thein-vehicle camera 1100 to the garnish 1300 as in the foreign matterremoval device shown in FIG. 19, the bracket 1110A including the nozzleunit 1002A interferes with the size of the opening portion 1302 of thegarnish 1300 when the in-vehicle camera 1100 is attached to the garnish1300 via the bracket 1110A after the garnish 1300 is attached to thebody panel. Therefore, it is not possible to insert the bracket 1110Awith the nozzle unit 1002A on which the in-vehicle camera 1100 ismounted from the opening portion 1302 of the garnish 1300 and attach itthe garnish 1300. Thus, it is necessary to temporarily detach thegarnish 1300 from the body panel or to enlarge or change the size of theopening portion 1302 of the garnish 1300. Accordingly, the versatilitywhen attaching the in-vehicle camera 1100 or the nozzle unit 1002A tothe vehicle is lowered.

On the contrary, according to the foreign matter removal device 1001 ofthe present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the nozzle unit 1002 isattached to the inner surface of the garnish 1300, and the ejectingportion that is a tip end portion of the nozzle 1022 protrudes to theoutside of the vehicle through the gap S formed between the garnish 1300and the in-vehicle camera 1100 or the camera attaching member 1110 forattaching the in-vehicle camera 1100 to the garnish 1300 and is disposedtoward the front surface of the lens 1101 of the in-vehicle camera 1100.Therefore, when attaching the in-vehicle camera 1100 and the nozzle unit1002 to the vehicle, the nozzle unit 1002 is attached to the innersurfaces 1301A, 1302B (the first surface 1301 a and the second surface1302 b) of the garnish 1300 in a state in which the garnish 1300 isattached to the body panel 1210, and then, the camera attaching member1110 to which the in-vehicle camera 1100 is attached can be insertedfrom the opening portion 1302 of the garnish 1300 and attached to thebody panel 1210. In this way, the ejecting portion 1022C can be placedwithout interfering with the in-vehicle camera 1100 and the cameraattaching member 1110 attached to the garnish 1300. Accordingly, thereis no need for post-processing to the garnish 1300 such as detaching thegarnish 1300 from the body panel 1210 or enlarging or changing theopening portion 1302 of the garnish 1300 in order to attach thein-vehicle camera 1100 and the nozzle unit 1002. Thus, the versatilityand work efficiency when attaching the foreign matter removal device1001 to the vehicle are improved. Further, since the garnish 1300 itselfdoes not need to secure water tightness, the in-vehicle camera 1100 andthe nozzle unit 1002 can be attached to the garnish 1300 withoutproviding a seal member or the like in the opening portion 1302 of thegarnish 1300.

Further, the ejecting portion 1022C of the nozzle 1022 has an openingshape which is bent to the opposite side of the side facing the lens1101 and then is bent again toward the side of the lens 1101. In thismanner, by forming the ejecting portion 1022C bent in a substantially Sshape, the optimum position of the ejecting port 1024 of the ejectingportion 1022C with respect to the lens 1101 of the in-vehicle camera1100 can be secured even when the gap S between the garnish 1300 and thecamera attaching member 1110 is narrow, so that the performance ofremoving foreign matters can be maintained.

Further, the ejecting portion 1022C includes the inner member 1025facing the lens 1101 and the outer member 1026 disposed on the sideopposite to the lens 1101 across the inner member 1025. The inner member1025 and the outer member 1026 are coupled to form the ejecting portion1022C having a hollow shape. In this manner, by dividing the ejectingportion 1022C into the inner member 1025 and the outer member 1026 andcoupling and assembling these members, the degree of freedom indesigning the shape of the ejecting portion 1022C can be improved andthe cost associated with the mold fabrication can be reduced.

Further, the ejecting portion 1022C further includes the connectingportion 1027 that connects the inner member 1025 and the outer member1026. By bending the connecting portion 1027, the inner member 1025 andthe outer member 1026 are coupled. Therefore, it is easy to couple theinner member 1025 and the outer member 1026.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have beenillustratively described above, the present invention is not limited tothese embodiments, and other configurations can be adopted as necessary.

In the above embodiment, the in-vehicle camera 1100 is attached to thegarnish 1300 via the camera attaching member 1110. However, thein-vehicle camera 1100 may be attached to the body panel 1210 of thevehicle. Also in this case, after attaching the nozzle unit 1002 to theinner surface of the garnish 1300, the in-vehicle camera 1100 can beinserted from the opening portion 1302 of the garnish 1300 and attachedto the body panel 1210 by a dedicated bracket. Therefore, it is notnecessary to detach the garnish 1300 or enlarge the size of the openingportion 1302. Meanwhile, in the case of a vehicle structure in which agarnish is not provided on the outside of a body panel, the nozzle unitand the in-vehicle camera may be directly attached to the body panel (anexample of the vehicle body panel), and the ejection portion of thenozzle may protrude to the outside of the vehicle from a gap between theopening portion of the body panel and the in-vehicle camera. In thiscase, in order to secure the water tightness of the body panel, it ispreferable to provide a seal member or the like in the opening portionof the body panel.

Further, in the above embodiment, in accordance with the shape of thegarnish 1300 formed in a substantially L shape, the nozzle unit 1002 isprovided with the attachment part 1021 that has the first attachmentpart 1021A protruding laterally from the nozzle 1022, and the secondattachment part 1021B protruding downward from the first attachment part1021A. However, the present invention is not limited to this example.Since the nozzle unit 1002 is a member independent of the cameraattaching member 1110 of the in-vehicle camera 1100, the shape of theattachment part 1021 of the nozzle unit 1002 can be appropriatelychanged in accordance with the shape of the body panel and the garnish.

Further, in the above embodiment, the hose 1004 is directly connected tothe nozzle 1022 of the nozzle unit 1002, and high-pressure air isintroduced from the high-pressure air generation unit 1005. However, forexample, a substantially L-shaped joint member may be connected betweenthe nozzle 1022 and the hose 1004. By connecting the nozzle 1022 and thehose 1004 via the joint member, the posture of the hose 1004 withrespect to the nozzle 1022 can be changed, so that the degree of freedomin attaching the nozzle unit 1002 to the garnish 1300 is increased.

Meanwhile, the present invention is not limited to the above-describedembodiments, but can be appropriately deformed or improved. In addition,the materials, shapes, dimensions, numerical values, modes, quantities,and locations and the like of the respective components in theabove-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long asthey can achieve the present invention.

For example, in the above examples, the application to the in-vehiclecamera has been described. However, the object to which the presentinvention is applied is not limited as long as it is a camera usedoutdoors. For example, a camera mounted so as to be exposed toward theoutside of an airplane, a railroad, a ship, a robot, an outdoorinstallation object, a building and the like may be included.

Further, in the above-described examples, the application to the camera(not limited to visible light) has been described. However, the sensorto which the present invention is applied is not limited to this. Thepresent invention may be applied to sensors attachable to vehicles, suchas LIDAE (laser radar), millimeter wave radars, and ultrasonic sensors.

Further, the target portion from which the foreign matter removal deviceremoves foreign matters is not limited to the lens of the camera. Forexample, the present invention can be applied to a foreign matterremoval device for removing foreign matters adhering on “partition wall”which is defined as a concept including an optical lens of a sensorelement, a cover for covering a front surface of an optical lens, acover for covering a vehicle mounted component such as a lamp having apart serving as a communication window of a sensor, a mirror, a bumper,a grill and a door knob, and a vehicle window when a sensor is mountedin a vehicle compartment. Meanwhile, this partition wall is not limitedto a transparent member (translucency), but may not be transparent in anultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar or the like.

Although the present invention has been described in detail withreference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to oneskilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application (PatentApplication No. 2015-131783) filed on Jun. 30, 2015, Japanese PatentApplication (Patent Application No. 2015-131784) filed on Jun. 30, 2015,and Japanese Patent Application (Patent Application No. 2015-131787)filed on Jun. 30, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

REFERENCE NUMERALS LIST

1: Foreign Matter Removal Device, 2: Nozzle Unit, 3: Joint Member, 4:Hose, 5: High-Pressure Air Generation Unit, 21: Attachment Part, 22:Nozzle, 51: Housing, 52: Piston, 55: Motor (Drive Source), 58: UrgingSpring (Elastic Member), 65: Moving Mechanism (Generation Unit), 22A:Communication Portion, 22B: Extension Portion, 22C: Ejection Portion,23: Inlet Port, 24: Ejection Port, 25: Adhesive Member, 71:Communication Passage, 91: Camera Bracket, 92: Pipeline, 93: PipelineInlet, 94: Pipeline Outlet, 95: Opening Portion, 96A, 96B: Gap, 97, 98:Opening, 100: In-Vehicle Camera, 101: Lens, 102: Housing, 103: ConnectorPart, 200B: Rear Bumper, 200 b: Rear Bumper Panel, 200 c: Outer Panel,V: Vehicle

What is claimed is:
 1. A foreign matter removal device that removesforeign matters adhering to a lens included in a vehicle camera, theforeign matter removal device comprising: a camera bracket that attachesthe vehicle camera to a body panel of a vehicle in a state in which thelens is exposed toward the outside of the body panel of the vehicle, ahigh-pressure air generation unit disposed inside the body panel andconfigured to generate high-pressure air; and a nozzle unit providedwith a nozzle that injects the high-pressure air toward the lens,wherein a through-hole is formed in the camera bracket, and thehigh-pressure air generated by the high-pressure air generation unitpasses from the inside to the outside of the body panel through thethrough-hole, and is injected from the nozzle toward the lens, thehigh-pressure air generation unit has a discharge port from which thehigh-pressure air flows out, the nozzle has an inlet port into which thehigh-pressure air flows, the foreign matter removal device furthercomprises a hose that connects the discharge port and the inlet port,and the hose passes through the through-hole.
 2. A vehicle comprisingthe foreign matter removal device according to claim 1.